What is Ashura

The ‘Ashūrā Highway of Responsibilities

* ‘Āshūrā is the day of Imam Ḥusayn’s martyrdom, or in better words the day in which was born a new way of viewing life based on the truth, an inaugural day in which was born a way to distinguish the paths of good and evil.

* It is an inaugural day for a shortcut to God and a highway to Him, one as broad as the width of all human generations, as long as we observe Imam Ḥusayn’s standards in our lifestyle.

* Āshūrā is a continuation of the message of all the prophets, messengers, saints, and divine leaders, a message for reforming and improving our lifestyle by divine standards and humanitarian values.

* No matter what some might think about us, it is important to endeavor as best we can within our own lifestyle. This is true even if others might disagree with us or scorn us. For example some Jewish rabbis decided to crucify and torture the Prophet Jesus Christ because of his lawfulness. But Jesus Christ insisted on his position, such as he has said in Matthew 5:17: “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

* Similarly Imam Husayn, as a grandson of Prophet Mohammad, came to sacrifice everything he had in the way of obedience to God’s law, a sacrifice beyond compare:

1. Imam and his family left their homeland.

2. Imam as a guest of the people of Kufa, in Iraq, was killed and beheaded by some of his hosts after hundreds (or even tens of thousands) of invitation letters.

3. He sacrificed himself as well as his brothers and companions and two of his sons—including his courageous son, the young ‘Alī, and the little ‘Abdullāh, who was six months old, helpless, far from home, and thirsty.

4. His enemies even burned the camps of the innocent women and children of Imam Ḥusayn and took them as war captives.

Imam Ḥusayn, his family, and his companions made this sacrifice to remind us of our responsibilities and the price we might have to pay for our convictions. We must never renounce our beliefs or ignore our responsibilities. Also we should sacrifice to teach the next generations how they can move forward in the highway of their own responsibilities.